An adventure in Hertfordshire archaeology.

Bring me sunshine, bring me smiles…

For a change, or so it seems, it didn’t rain. It got very threatening at the end of the day so we were pretty efficient packing up, but on the whole it was a lovely day with white fluffy clouds, We were a slightly smaller team than usual, but we still managed to run the mag and the GPR today.

Following yesterdays problems with the mag, Ellen implemented a high-tech solution…

The hi-tech solution.

The flowerpot came from our garden but sadly Homebase didn’t stock duct tape so we had to make do with “duck” tape. What do ducks do with tape, I wonder? When the season is over I think the machine is going for a service.

The mag started by re-doing one of yesterday’s dodgy squares, then complete the transect with its final partial, before starting the next transect. Here is the overall view.

The mag survey after day 16.

Sadly, I don’t think we’ll get the whole next transect done in the next three days. The area we did today is an interesting contrast to earlier days.

The area surveyed on day 16.

There are quite a few pits, and a ditch which seems to continue the line of pits seen yesterday to the WSW of the “uber magnetic building”. One of tomorrow’s grid squares should show us how this new ditch and the “sinuous ditch” meet. No sign of the 1955 ditch’s northern arm yet, however.

Mike Langton, of Mala, kindly processed one block of GPR data — that surveyed on day 12 — for us using Reflex-W. The results are very good. I have (a) a lot to learn and (b) a lot to do!

Time-slices of the dat 12 data by Mike Langton.

The eight slices start at 10ns and are 2ns thick.

Mike and I completed a grid square with the GPR in the morning, tidying up the block of grid squares so far surveyed. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be very much in it.

The centre block is the data collected on days 15 and 16.

The same area without the GPR data for comparison.

I decided that I couldn’t wait a year to find out more about the “uber magnetic” building, especially after the repeated failures of the res meter on that area. Mike and Julia valiant struggled up and down the slope, occasionally assisted by myself. Surprisingly, given the strength of the magnetic signal, the GPR showed very little apart from one corner.

GPR results over the “uber magnetic” building.

The same area as the previous image for comparison.

It seems unlikely that a building like a bath house would show so poorly in the GPR data and so it seems more likely we are dealing with a burnt down timber structure.

We are on the last leg of this year’s survey. Despite hiccups, rain and technical failures we already have some stunning results. Let’s hope for a few more in the last days.

Many thanks to everyone who turned up today and did such sterling work.